Hello Fresh. Home Chef. Plated. Home meal delivery services are popping up on your facebook feed. Meal delivery kits are showing up while you are reading the news. Fresh home cooked meals are everywhere. Are they expensive? Can they save you money?
A home meal delivery service might be tempting, but are they worth it? These meal delivery kits may be more affordable than you think. We took a few out for a test drive with surprising results. It turns out that these fresh home cooked meals were pretty delicious. And, surprisingly affordable. And, if you tend to spend money on fast food, they could even help you save money.
First, we tried Hello Fresh. This meal delivery kit sounded like a great deal. After all, I had a coupon and they offered free shipping. So, why not. So I signed up for a subscription. After all, they said I could cancel at any time.
With my coupon and free shipping, Hello Fresh turned out to be cheaper than I expected. We figured it was about $5 a person per meal. (This was with the discount, but that was a one-time deal.) Friday evening, the meal delivery kit showed up at our front door.
Normally, this meal delivery kit is priced at $79 for 4 meals a weeks for 2 people. This breaks down to about $10 a meal per person. Keep in mind that their meal plans now feature premium meals that cost $5 extra per person. If you opt for the premium meal each week, you’ll have to add that to your budget.
We also tried Home Chef, which also runs about $10 a meal per person. They do not have a premium meal each week. However, they do have add-on options, such as fruits and shakes, that you can add for an additional fee.
We were pleased with both of these home delivery services. So we did not try any others. But, for our analysis, we determined that these meal delivery kits may be worth it if you tend to spend money on take out food more than three times a week. After all, a take-out meal is no longer an inexpensive option.
However, if you frequently cook at home, you can certainly save money by making your own dinners.
Helpful Tips:
- You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time.
- Look at the menus each week. Pause your subscription when you don’t see anything that interests you.
- Skip weeks that feature a lot of pasta or vegetarian dishes, since you save money by cooking it at home.
- Pause 4 or 5 weeks in a row. Then go back and “unpause” them when you are ready to have them delivered.
- If you subscribe to more than one service, make sure you don’t have two meals delivered on the same week.
- I saw a tip that recommended sending your meal delivery kit to your hotel when you were on vacation. That could save you money on restaurant bills. It’s a great idea and I loved it!
Bottom line: If you already cook at home, save your money and skip the meal plan. But if you do take out or eat at restaurants more than you should, subscribe to a home meal delivery service. You’ll save more than just money. You’ll save calories and learn to love your vegetables too.
Disclaimer: All of the opinions on this site are my own. However, we do use affiliate links from time to time. Please be aware that when you click links, they may bring you to a link where we may be compensated a small amount of money when you sign up or buy.
